Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy, in the keynote address of the BYU-Hawaii Women's Conference on May 19, said of President Gordon B. Hinckley, "We are led by the greatest temple builder of all mankind and all history."
Sister Beverly Campbell, who served for 12 years as the Church's Director of International Affairs in Washington, D.C., was originally scheduled as the keynote speaker at the conference conducted by the university's Center for Technology & Outreach (CITO), but she deferred to Elder Rasband, who was in Hawaii with his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, to preside over the Kaneohe Stake conference. Elder Rasband agreed to address the women's conference on short notice, and Sister Campbell spoke later.
Elder Rasband, who is Area Supervisor for North America Northwest and also North America West, which includes Hawaii, shared a PowerPoint™ presentation he put together last year as Executive Director of the Temple Department for General Authorities, on the tenth anniversary of President Hinckley becoming head of the Church.
The presentation included statements from various Church leaders, including:
- "This is not the only temple we shall build; there will be hundreds of them built and dedicated to the Lord." (Brigham Young, referring to the Salt Lake City Temple: President Young also said "there will have to be thousands" of temples some day.)
- "Every temple completed…lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness." (George Q. Cannon at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Logan Temple, 1877)
- "…Hundreds of temples will be needed…" (President Ezra Taft Benson, 1980) "It's interesting to note when he made this quote there were 18 operating temples in the world," Elder Rasband added.
"Just a few months after President Hinckley was called [as the president, when he was 85 years old]" the subject of temple building "was burning in his heart," he continued. "We are blessed to have a prophet with a great vision of temple work that is not only current, but has been stewing and preparing in him for at least a half a century."
Elder Rasband pointed out some of the experiences that uniquely qualified President Hinckley for his temple-building role. For example:
In 1953 Elder Hinckley was a Church employee who President David O. McKay told "to help find a way that the endowment presentation could be made in some other way than live," because the Swiss Temple then under construction would need at least seven languages. "For many months Brother Hinckley pondered and prayed over this subject, seeking to know the will of the Lord."
To accomplish that, Elder Rasband continued, Elder Hinckley later said he "practically lived [in the fifth-floor Assembly Room of the Salt Lake Temple]" and told of how it was turned into a video "set" with trees and stones. "This was the place where there was born the method which we use today in most of the temples . . . what we have now in the Laie Temple and every other temple in the world, except two — Salt Lake and Manti. Every other temple uses the video presentation. It's been redone, and redone again, but the first presentation was filmed on the fifth floor in the Assembly Room," Elder Rasband said.
He pointed out that when President Hinckley was called as a third counselor to President Kimball in 1981 (with Presidents Tanner and Romney, respectively, as First and Second Counselors), "there were but 19 operating temples in the world...[and] a new urgency about temple work began," including the selection of 28 new temple sites.
"It was also during this time that inspired changes were made to the manner in which the endowment was presented," Elder Rasband said.
In 1992 President Hinckley was in Hong Kong looking for a suitable temple site, when he was inspired to sketch a multi-story high-rise "temple within a building" design that also became the basis of the Manhattan Temple.
Elder Rasband then told of President Hinckley visiting Colonia Juarez, Mexico, in 1997. "While there, something very profound happened that would forever change temple work," he said, relating how the Prophet spoke of the faithfulness of the Saints, and later said, "The concept of smaller temples came into my mind." In General Conference that year President Hinckley announced the first three of the smaller temples: Monticello, Utah; Colonia Juarez, Mexico; and Anchorage, Alaska.
"This began an incredible new building program for the Church. Not only were they going to be smaller in footprint, but they were also going to be different in some other ways," Elder Rasband continued, pointing out the smaller new temples would not have cafeterias, paid staff, or clothing.
Elder Rasband also shared inspirational stories of how President Hinckley personally supervised the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple, which was funded by private donations; and how he was inspired to select the site of the Winter Quarters Temple near the old cemetery, which was owned by the city: When city officials were told of President Hinckley's prompting, "they gave it to the Church for $1."
"There are many experiences President Hinckley has had in the temples. I've just selected a few to share with you," Elder Rasband said, pointing out the Prophet will hopefully dedicate the Sacramento Temple, the Church's 123rd operating temple, on Labor Day this year.
"President Hinckley has personally dedicated 83 of those temples. He has rededicated an additional 11, as they have grown old…and during the amazing years of 1999 and 2000, when there was a large building effort to reach 100 temples, President Hinckley couldn't go to all of them."
After quoting the Ninth Article of Faith about revelation, Elder Rasband said in conclusion, "I bear testimony to you sisters that I know this is true, that the Lord is moving through his Latter-day apostles and prophets…even Gordon B. Hinckley."